Policy Information

TAPESTRY

You will receive an e-mail from Tapestry to the address you gave us on your pre-school application form.

“Tapestry” is the name of the on-line Learning Journal system to which we subscribe.

This will provide you with a link to log in to your account and how to set your own password. The e mail is only active for 24 hours, so please try to activate it within this time. If you miss the time frame, let us know and we can resend it.

Once you have done this you will be able to access your child’s development and progress records when ever you like. These will include observations of your child during pre-school sessions, sometimes with accompanied photographs and links to the Early years Foundation Stage. You will be able to see at which level your child is working at and ideas for “next steps”. There is also a box for your response which we welcome and hope that with your input we can work in partnership to provide continuous learning at home and at school.

LUNCH CLUB

Children staying for lunch must be provided with a packed lunch. The lunch should be a healthy selection of items for young children, preferably low in salt and sugar. Sweets and chocolate are not permitted at pre-school, however one biscuit or cake with a small covering of chocolate to eat at the end of lunch is acceptable. All lunch boxes and drinks must be clearly labeled with the child’s name. We recommend that lunch boxes contain an ice pack to keep meat and dairy items cold, as they will not be stored in a refrigerator.

REGISTRATION

Children must be registered for the days they will be attending, at the beginning of term.

Once sessions have been allocated to your child these will be protected for you throughout your time at pre-school.

If parents would like to make any changes in the next term – either to the days they attend or by increasing sessions, then parents must make a request on the form sent out 2 weeks before the end of the previous half term. This will be sent by e mail and a hard copy form will be made available.

Session places will then be allocated by priority. See Pre-school Sessions and Fees Policy

You will be informed of the decision a week later of your request being made.

You will be charged for the hours and sessions you have registered for. If your child is unable to attend you will not be able to substitute another session. If you wish to attend an extra session on a particular week, you will need to make a request before the end of the previous week. This will be accommodated if staffing levels are adequate and the activities planned are flexible.

SHARING INFORMATION

Where children attend another setting we will try to share information about their strengths and preferences to help with transitions and to provide continuity. This will be in the form of our personal news sheet to be passed between providers by the parent/carer. Please help by letting us know if he/she attends another setting. We can also set up a home/school notebook to share information if someone other than yourself regularly drops off or picks up your child. Please let us know if you think this would be helpful.

RECORDING CHILDREN’S PROGRESS

All children registered at Aveton Gifford Pre-school will be registered on an on-line progress record program called Tapestry. The record is divided into the seven areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum

Under each heading is a list of developmental stepping stones which show progression towards Key Stage 1.These are flexible to include all abilities. (The Foundation Stage is from birth until the beginning of year 1 at Primary School, e.g. September before their 6th birthday).

Observations at Pre-school are entered onto each child’s Tapestry account by the child’s Pre-school key Person. Parents can leave comments when viewing the journal by entering their unique password. Parents can also download a Tapestry app which will enable you to put on your own special events from home with photographs.

For your Key Person to monitor your child’s progress, he/she will make regular observations which will be recorded as written observations and as photographs. These will be included in their Key Children’s on-line Tapestry learning journal.

Using the record as a comprehensive guide to the child’s strengths and weaknesses, the key worker is able to assess the next steps identified for each child and suggest appropriate activities at home and at Pre-school to help further development throughout the duration of their time at Pre-school.

The records belong to the parent/carer and are respected as confidential by the key worker. The parent/carer may wish to show the records to other interested child workers such as the Health Visitor or Reception Teacher. To do this your Key Person can download the records to a PDF file at any time. Please ask.

For children soon to be attending Primary School, the key worker will complete a Transition Document, which gives an overview in each of the learning areas. Information will be taken from the Tapestry Journal. There is a section for the parent to complete with the opportunity to express any concerns or just to describe the child’s character or interests. These will be a helpful link between Pre-school and school, providing a picture of the child’s developing capabilities and personality, smoothing the transition between the two provisions.

Children between the age of two and three will receive a Progress Check which is a short written summary of their development in the prime areas.

For any children with Additional Needs, staff will respect the need for confidentiality regarding children’s development within the setting. The Special Educational Needs Co-coordinator (SENCO) will communicate with the parent regarding their wishes on sharing information about the child’s needs to the group.

FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS/CARERS

We endeavor to foster a two-way flow of communication between staff and parents or carers of the children. This is partly helped by the fact that the management committee is made up of volunteer parents.

As an organisation we encourage both positive and negative feedback. We monitor the quality of our provision by regularly evaluating our practice and procedures. Often, following training, we look at areas which could be improved and draw up an action plan.

In addition a parent satisfaction questionnaire is sent out yearly which gives parents and carers the opportunity to express their views anonymously. From this we can assess whether the pre-school is meeting your needs and how we can help to improve the service.

If you have any suggestions or a complaint please either speak to the Chairperson or a member of staff or you may put your points in writing. Whilst we would prefer to try to rectify any shortcomings ourselves and to be aware of anything you are unhappy with, you may complain directly to OFSTED if you wish by telephoning 0300 123 1231

When a complaint is made, however large or small, it is taken seriously and used to help us with ways to improve. In accordance with OFSTED regulations all complaints we receive will be entered into our complaints file anonymously, by recording the nature of the complaint, how it will be addressed, when and by whom. The response will be fed back to the source within 28 days. Please also see our Complaints Policy in the Policy and Procedures file which is available for parents and carers to read or borrow.